Mass layoffs at Veterans Affairs could begin in June. How would they affect Washington?

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The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs could begin mass layoffs as early as June, Reuters reported Sunday.

The VA reportedly wants to cut more than 80,000 workers from the agency. Citing a memo dated March 6, Reuters reported that a review of the agency's operations could be completed by June and be followed by possible cuts to its ranks of civil servants.

In an opinion piece in The Hill, VA Secretary Doug Collins said the agency was being reviewed "thoroughly and thoughtfully" to comply with President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative. The goal is to reduce the agency's 470,000-person workforce to 2019 levels "without making cuts to health care or benefits to veterans and VA beneficiaries," Collins said.

The VA runs programs that benefit veterans and their families, including disability compensation, health care services, pension benefits and educational opportunities, according to USA.gov.

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said in an X post last week that large-scale firings at the agency would "decrease veteran access to the benefits they earned" and noted that over 25% of VA workers are veterans.

Will Washington state VA workers be affected?

It wasn't immediately known where the reported layoffs could occur. The VA previously announced two rounds of dismissals in February, which affected about 2,400 workers. The Seattle Times reported that some VA workers in Washington state were among those who were fired.

Washington state has about 76,000 federal employees, and it's believed "1,000 Washingtonians have lost their public service jobs" since Trump was inaugurated in January, according to the Washington State Attorney General's Office. It was unclear how many employees work for the VA in Washington state.

Washington State AG Nick Brown announced on March 5 that his office had joined a lawsuit against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and other federal agencies over what he described as "illegal" firings by the Trump administration.

How many veterans does Washington state have?

According to 2023 numbers provided by the VA, Washington state has about 525,000 veterans, the 11th-largest veteran population in the country.

Will veterans' benefits be affected by layoffs?

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., lamented firings at the VA and said last week that mass layoffs would mean "longer processing times for disability or education claims veterans are desperately waiting on, and longer wait times for veterans to see doctor – to say nothing of the serious threat to patient safety or the threat of VA medical centers closing."

Murray, who serves as vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a March 5 statement that Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, a top adviser to the president and the unofficial head of DOGE, are putting veterans' "health care and benefits" at risk.

In Washington state, 44% of veterans are 65 years old or older, according to VA numbers. The state has about 232,000 enrollees in the VA health care system, and about 159,000 veterans in Washington are receiving disability payments.

How many VA hospitals does Washington state have?

Washington state has five VA hospitals, including facilities in Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Walla Walla and Vancouver, the Seattle Times reported. The state also has over a dozen health clinics and vet centers, according to the VA's website.

Who qualifies for VA health care?

According to the VA's website, people who served in the active military, naval, or air service and didn't receive a dishonorable discharge may be eligible for VA health care benefits.

Those who enlisted after Sept. 7, 1980, or entered active duty after Oct. 16, 1981, must have served 24 continuous months or the full period for which they were called to active duty to be eligible.

This minimum duty requirement doesn't apply to people who were discharged for a disability that was caused or made worse by active-duty service, people who were discharged for a hardship or "early out," or people who served prior to Sept. 7, 1980, according to the VA.

Current or former members of the Reserves or National Guard must have been called to active duty by a federal order and completed the full period for which they were ordered to active duty. Those who had or have active-duty status for training purposes only don't qualify for VA health care, the VA explained.

All veterans who meet the basic service and discharge requirements and who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving at home or abroad are also now eligible for VA health care.